Atlantic County Public Health Profile Report

Deaths due to Unintentional Poisoning: Deaths per 100,000 Population, 2015-2016

Atlantic

30.0

95% Confidence Interval

Description of the Confidence Interval

The confidence interval indicates the range of probable
true values for the level of risk in the community.

A value of "NA" (Not Available) will appear
if the confidence interval was not published with
the NJSHAD indicator data for this measure.

(25.4
- 34.6)

State

19.4

U.S.

16.5

Atlantic Compared to State

Description of Gauge

Description of the Gauge

This graphic is based on the county data to the left.
It compares the county value of this indicator to the
state overall value.

Excellent = The county's value on this indicator
is BETTER than the state value, and the difference
IS statistically significant.

Watch = The county's value is BETTER than state value,
but the difference IS NOT statistically significant.

Improvement Needed = The county's value on this
indicator is WORSE than the state value, but the
difference IS NOT statistically significant.

Reason for Concern = The county's value on this
indicator is WORSE than the state value, and the
difference IS statistically significant.

The county value is considered statistically significantly
different from the state value if the state value is outside
the range of the county's 95% confidence interval. If the
county's data or 95% confidence interval information is
not available, a blank gauge image will be displayed with
the message, "missing information."

NOTE: The labels used on the gauge graphic are meant to describe
the county's status in plain language. The placement of the
gauge needle is based solely on the statistical difference
between the county and state values. When selecting priority
health issues to work on, a county should take into account
additional factors such as how much improvement could be made,
the U.S. value, the statistical stability of the county
number, the severity of the health condition, and whether the
difference is clinically significant.

Why Is This Important?

Every day in the U.S., an average of 160 people die as a result of unintentional poisoning (2016 data) and 4,100 others are treated in emergency departments (2015 data).[http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html ^1^] Unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2016.[https://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd10.html ^2^]

How Are We Doing?

In approximately 94% of unintentional poisoning deaths nationally and 96% in New Jersey, drugs are the poison. This includes unintentional overdose, wrong drug given or taken in error, drug taken inadvertently, and mistakes in the use of drugs in medical and surgical procedures. Not included are cases where the correct drug was properly administered but had an unforeseen adverse effect such as an allergic reaction. There are a handful of alcohol poisoning and carbon monoxide poisoning deaths each year and even fewer due to exposure to other noxious substances.
Although death rates due to drug overdose among Blacks and Hispanics rose and fell over the past decade and a half, the death rates for these two groups doubled from 2014 to 2016. The most noticeable rate change prior to 2015 occurred in 2005-2006, due in part to an increase in the availability of high-purity heroin and heroin adulterated with fentanyl. The drug overdose death rate among Whites in 2014, however, was nearly triple the rate in 2000, and rose another 67% just from 2014 to 2016. The increase can be in large part attributed to an increased supply of and demand for heroin, heroin tainted with adulterants (including fentanyl), and an expanded prescription opioid diversion network and substance abuse base, especially among younger populations.

What Is Being Done?

The [https://nj.gov/humanservices/dmhas/home/ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services] promotes the prevention and treatment of substance disorders and supports the recovery of individuals affected by the chronic disease of addiction.
In 2004, the New Jersey [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2004/Bills/PL04/9_.HTM Patient Safety Act] (P.L. 2004, c.9) was signed into law. The statute was designed to improve patient safety in hospitals and other health care facilities by establishing a medical error reporting system.
The [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2012/Bills/PL13/46_.HTM Overdose Prevention Act] (P.L. 2013, c.46) was passed in 2013 to provide immunity from liability and professional discipline to health care professionals who prescribe, dispense, or administer naloxone, or any similarly acting drug approved for the treatment of an opioid overdose, in an emergency to an individual who the person believes is experiencing an opioid overdose. The Act also contains Good Samaritan provisions, which provide immunity from arrest and prosecution for drug possession to those non-health professional individuals who call 911 for suspected overdoses, and makes naloxone available to spouses, parents, and guardians who could be taught to administer the drug in case of an emergency.
In 2014, the Health Commissioner expanded the scope of practice for Emergency Medical Technicians to allow for the administration of [http://www.nj.gov/health/ems/ems-toolbox/ naloxone] in cases of life threatening opioid overdoses. Later that spring, the Governor established a pilot program to train and equip police officers to administer naloxone; this program was expanded to every county in the state in June, 2014.
A bill expanding the scope of the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (NJPMP) was signed by the Governor in 2015, and requires all physicians and pharmacists practicing in New Jersey to register for access and mandates physicians to check the NJPMP when patients return for refills on opioid medications. In early 2017, the Governor signed a law ([http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2016/Bills/PL17/28_.HTM P.L. 2017, c.28]) setting a five-day limit on initial prescriptions for opioids (reduced from seven days) and mandating that insurance companies accept those facing drug addiction into treatment for up to six months and without the need for prior coverage authorization.
In 2016, NJDOH was awarded a CDC grant for [https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/foa/ddpi.html Prescription Drug Overdose: Data-Driven Prevention Initiative] (DDPI), and funding will be used to advance and evaluate state-level actions to address opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose. Funds aim to help states improve data collection and analysis around opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose; develop strategies based on data that address the behaviors driving prescription opioid dependence and abuse; and work with communities to develop more comprehensive opioid overdose prevention programs.
The New Jersey [http://nj.gov/health/ceohs/public-health-tracking/human-exposure/#1 Environmental Public Health Tracking] Program is collecting hospitalization data on unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning to better understand and track the impact of CO poisoning.

Healthy People Objective IVP-9.3:

Prevent an increase in the rate of poisoning deaths: Unintentional or undetermined intent among all personsU.S. Target: 11.1 deaths per 100,000 populationState Target: is not comparable because it does not include poisoning deaths of undetermined intent

Health Status Outcomes:

Data Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File. CDC WONDER On-line Database accessed at [http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd10.html]
Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
Population Estimates, State Data Center, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, [http://lwd.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/dmograph/est/est_index.html]

Measure Description for Deaths due to Unintentional Poisoning

Definition: Deaths with unintentional poisoning by and exposure to noxious substances as the underlying cause of death. '''''This includes, but is not limited to, opioids and other drugs.'''''[[br]]
ICD-10 codes: X40-X49 (includes poisoning by legal and illegal drugs, alcohol, gases and vapors such as carbon monoxide and automobile exhaust, pesticides, and other chemicals and noxious substances)

The information provided above is from the Department of Health's NJSHAD web site (https://nj.gov/health/shad). The information published
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Retrieved
Thu, 21 March 2019 16:31:21
from Department of Health, New Jersey State Health Assessment Data Web site: https://nj.gov/health/shad
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